Here For You
by maraudersofoxford
Summary: A new character stumbles into the scoobies' gang, shes an odd one-but there seems to be more to this strange girl with dark hair...rated for language and later, some angsty content. all characters (c) J.K rowling (except mine) etc.etc.
1. Here For You

_In your darkest hour,  
  
When you're upset and blue,  
  
Just remember this,  
  
I'll always be here for you.  
  
I'm no angel  
  
And I can't change your fate,  
  
But I'll do anything for you,  
  
My Soul mate_


	2. The New Girl

The compartment door slid aside to reveal a short girl with elbow length ebony-coloured hair, very pale skin and green eyes. Her name was Jessica and she was a witch. But of course this was nothing to boast about as her train happened to be heading for Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, where being a witch made you nothing more than ordinary. She was already wearing her black school robes, and cloak. She smiled at her companions and said: "Mind if I join you? There's nowhere else really." One of the two girls looked up, she too smiled to show large, white front teeth emblazoned with a blue and silver brace, and tucked her thick brown hair behind her ear as she offered Jessica a seat  
  
Hermione Granger was very anxious. It was what she was good at, among other things, but once again, she felt the situation called for someone who was good at being anxious. Her two best friends, the colossal idiots that they were, had managed to miss the train leaving a very frantic Mrs. Weasley to say a hurried goodbye to the girls as a worried looking Mr. Weasley tried to get back through the barrier to find the boys.  
  
She surveyed the new girl with increasing interest, she seemed nice enough, but Hermione got the impression that they had met before; there was something familiar in her face but she couldn't explain or put her finger on exactly what it was. She was distracted again by a stray thought and turned to voice it to the red haired girl sitting next to her  
  
"Ginny, you don't think Harry and Ron are in trouble do you? I mean, there must have been a reason if they missed the train."  
  
Ginny Shrugged, she was far too nervous about the upcoming sorting to worry that much about her brother's antic with friends. The girl opposite them, however, sat up straight.  
  
"Are you talking about that tall redhead and the guy with glasses, Harry Potter? I saw them! They couldn't get on to the platform. They were saying something about a car, I think. O and I'm Jessica by the way."  
  
"Hermione Granger, and this is Ginny. She's the redheaded idiot's sister. What year are you in, you don't have any colours, but you don't look like a first year." By colours, of course, Hermione meant the house badges all pupils wore on their robes.  
  
"Oh, are you the transfer Professor McGonagall was talking about?"  
  
"Well, not exactly, I'm in second year, but you wouldn't know it to look at me would you? Short, skinny and scrawny, just like my parents." She smiled. "I was in Hogwarts last year, but I'm transferring to Gryfindor." She sighed and looked out of the window at the countryside whizzing past. Hermione looked puzzled.  
  
"Were you wrongly placed or something" This caused Ginny to tremble even more.  
  
"No, I was given a choice, and I made the wrong one. Dumblebee only let me switch because I got the highest exam results in my year. And there were more...personal reasons as well." She looked as though she really didn't want to talk about those.  
  
"So, you were in Ravenclaw? I mean, high exam results usually mean that you're in Gryiffindor or Ravenclaw, its always one of the two."  
  
"No. I was in Slytherin. Yeah, I know BIG mistake-they're all pricks" this last statement caused both Ginny and Hermione to laugh; Jessica smiled and joined in giggling.  
  
They started talking animatedly about things. Ron and Harry's stupidity for one; school, teachers and everything in general. Soon they began comparing exam results. It turned out that Jessica had very narrowly beaten Hermione's score by three quarters of a point. This made Hermione wrinkle her brow and shrug in a would-be-indifferent kind of way. But her thoughts were interrupted by a rude joke from Ginny (apparently, Fred told her) and they all fell about laughing again. Hermione liked Jessica's laugh it was cheerful and fruity. It put her in mind of happy days in the past it soothed her.  
  
At lunchtime the lady with the lunch trolley arrived as usual. Jessica bought something for all of them refusing to let Hermione or Ginny pay.  
  
"My treat, honestly! Call it my lame and feeble attempt to make new friends." Their laughter was cut short as the compartment door opened again to reveal someone less welcome.  
  
"Evans, you've made some new...friends I see." He sneered, lip curling, a hideously unpleasant expression etched onto his face; though it was nothing to rival the look that Jessica shot back at him.  
  
"I am quite capable enough, Draco to make my own decisions regarding who I acquaint myself with." Draco Malfoy blinked before spinning on his heels and accompanying his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle out of the compartment. He stopped at the door, however, spun round once more and spat back,  
  
"Evans, I would be very careful indeed this year, you never know when my tongue may slip. You know what disastrous consequences there would be. Remember Jessica, you're real place is in Slytherin, if you turn your back on us, you will regret it." With that, he stormed off without a single glance backward. Jessica seemed to be emitting steam from her eyeballs, her anger more than evident than ever. Not noticing this, Hermione said:  
  
"Jessica Evans! I knew I'd seen you before, you went out with that flea- ridden toe rag Malfoy last year didn't you?"  
  
"Don't say his name in my presence! Grimy little freak!" She snarled at the closed door where his back had been.  
  
"Is he really awful?" Put in Ginny earnestly  
  
"Yes! He's slime! I hope he chokes on that over large tongue of his!" She breathed deeply regaining herself "But now I am free to make fun of his stupidity without having to think about how it will affect our house score!" She winked. Deciding it would be better for all concerned, Hermione tactfully changed the subject.  
A little while later, as the girls were trooping un-concernedly up towards Gryffindor tower, they spotted Ron and Harry gazing rather stupidly at the portrait of the fat lady in the pink silk dress. They couldn't look more dumbfounded if they'd been given clubs and told to imitate the stupidest- troll-of-the-year contest. Hermione rushed forward to berate the two of them as Ginny went ahead to greet Fred and George in the common room. Jessica hung back, feeling awkward as Hermione said her bit. When she finally took time to breath, Hermione realised the confused looks on the boy's faces and remembered.  
  
"Oh, this is Jessica by the way. Jessica, these oafs are Ronald, Ginny's brother, and well, I'm sure you know-Harry Potter."  
  
"I'm sure I do, call me Jess-hi!" Harry was looking strangely at her; his scar was giving a feint prickle of recognition, but he shook it away and held out his hand to shake hers. He opened his mouth but Ron interjected;  
  
"Jess Evans, Malfoy's ex?" He was eyeing her up and down, looking sceptical  
  
"Unfortunately, yes-but for the record, I dumped him, no matter what he tells his Slytherin cronies. I hate him; he flew of the handle when I told him I was a halfblood. If I'd known beforehand what he was like I would have told him to shove his head so far up his own arse that he'd spend years shitting out his own face in tiny little grimy pieces." At this last exclamation, Ron's face warmed slightly and he grinned with sardonic amusement. "Hang on a minute- Evans! Are your parent's Aurors by any chance, because I think my dad knows and Evans at the Ministry" Jessica closed her eyes wearily as though she had known this was coming  
  
"No- they weren't, my mum was a teacher in a small wizarding school in Devon and my dad was a muggle doctor." Ron seemed satisfied, but Hermione looked puzzled  
  
"Why do you speak in the past tense? Have they changed jobs or moved or something?"  
  
"No, no they haven't. They're dead actually. They were killed a few days before Harry's parents were and by the same murderer" Harry cut in  
  
"Voldemort Killed your parent's too?" Ignoring the flinches from Ron and Hermione, he noticed Jessica neither flinched at the name or fear saying it.  
  
"Yes, 21st October, not a date I'm going to forget too quickly."  
  
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to pry I should have just-"  
  
"No don't, it's better that you know. I prefer it this way rather than me having to point it out in a couple of months while you're all talking about going home to see your families for Christmas." She had a grim smile on her face, which fooled everyone but Harry. He knew that look; it was the look he wore himself whenever anyone asked about his family. Ron put in sympathetically  
  
"What were their names?"  
  
"Daniel Evans and Sarah Brook strange, but even though I never knew them, I still hate Voldemort more than anything else in the world for taking them away from me." Her large green eyes widened and landed on Harry's identical emerald orbs, two pairs of green eyes staring into each other's souls. They understood each other enough had been said. At last, after a lengthy pause, Jessica looked up and said jovially,  
  
"We'd better be getting into the common room, I suppose Fred and George" she had met the twins at dinner "will be planning some crazy party for your miraculous entrance to the grounds." The boys blushed while Hermione and Jessica giggled. They all turned around and entered the common room together. Later, as she lay in bed, Hermione was having difficulty getting to sleep. Just as she began to drop off, she heard a quiet sobbing noise coming from the bed next to hers followed by a cry of physical pain, stifled quickly. She fell asleep realising whom the voice belonged to, but by the time she woke up in the morning, she had already forgotten.  
  
A few day's later the gang found themselves in Hagrid's Cabin, Harry in his Quidditch robes, with Jessica and Hermione comforting Ron as he plunged his head back into the bucket Hagrid had provided, spewing slugs. Hermione glanced around the cabin, then, as if she'd just realised the potentially awkward situation before her, she said,  
  
"Oh Hagrid, this is Jessica by the way, she's just joined Gryffindor" But Hagrid waved a hand in the air and said,  
  
"Yeh, we've met. Las' year an all." He smiled and looked sidelong at Ron with something that might have been a giggle if he hadn't stiffened up and said in a much lower, manlier growl than usual.  
  
"Ehem, Harry. Quidditch eh? Howa that team of yers goin'?" Harry frowned.  
  
"Not too good actually Hagrid. Alicia Spinnette's left the team – so we're down a chaser. I think Wood's holding trials soon though.  
  
"'Spect ye'll be getting' loadsa people wantin' ter be on the Gryffindor team now that yer on it an all" Hagrid winked and Harry flushed slightly. "So tell me" Hagrid continued "Who was he tryin' ter curse?" 


	3. Hermione Entry Number 1

_Well, well! This was an... Interesting first week back to be sure! The new girl- Jessica she's an enigma, but she's witty and has brains. But she's odd too. I heard her crying at night twice now and each time I've asked her about it, she just shrugs me off and smiles, saying I'm imagining things. But I know I'm not, I heard her voice last night. She was sobbing something about her parents, maybe she was sleep talking? I guess I'll have to wait and see. Harry is getting on with her surprisingly well, he always seems to know exactly where she is and he's never very far from her. When he speaks to her, it like he's changed-more mature. I don't think he fancies her though; it's not like that! It's really quite confusing to tell you the truth. Another thing about Jess, she's always really uptight about her body. She's not particularly vain, it's just that she has to make sure all her tops fit her EXACTLY the way she wants them to, the sleeves reaching over her hands, she goes through periods where she'll refuse to eat because she feels fat and ugly (total nonsense of course) and she changes her hair a lot too (The colour changes; red or blue streaks usually) and she's always fussing over her contact lenses. I don't know why I even pick these things up-it's as if she's doing it to impress or to hide...well we'll see..._


	4. Settling In

The next few weeks passed as normal, but with a cheerful attitude due to the newest ornament of their posse. Jessica turned out to have a great sense of humour (one such instance, involving Percy and a handful of Lorkhart's Pixies lead Ron to gain a whole new level of respect for her) and a brain to rival and (to her great annoyance) beat Hermione's. Though she tried her utmost to hide her frustration, Hermione was getting increasingly flustered, as more and more often, it would be Jessica's hand first in the air and Jessica with the more precise answers and Jessica who earned Gryffindor more points on average. She seemed to have a strange understanding with the teachers, as though she knew them personally, especially Dumbledore (whom she had fondly christened "Dumblebee") whom she was asked to visit once a week to have a quiet chat with. Whereas Jessica said that all they ever talked about was how she was settling in her new house and various types of jam most of her fellow students seemed to believe she knew Dumbledore personally, or that he just favoured her over others as Ernie Macmillan suggested one day after Herbology as Jessica hurried away from them towards the castle, related. Hermione scoffed at this and said frankly,  
"She probably does know them personally, I mean her Mother was a teacher too, remember? Maybe Dumbledore knew her parents?" But Ernie was still looking unconvinced.  
"Well then, why doesn't she tell us openly? I mean it's not really something you have to hide, unless he's her long-lost great-great- grandfather or something" But he was giggling now and Hermione just smiled  
"She probably doesn't advertise it so that people don't go jumping to conclusions and start thinking that she's being favoured over others". This seemed to put everyone's minds at ease and the meetings continued, but people stopped commenting on them.  
On the day of their first potions lesson with Snape, the quartet were to be found dragging their feet reluctantly towards the dungeon only, to their great disappointment, to arrive a minute early.  
"Why can't Snape just turn into the over-large bat that he is and fly away?" said Ron wistfully as he leaned his back casually against the wall of the dungeon, queuing up outside Snape's classroom. Harry sighed.  
"Yeah, that would be- what's up?" Jessica had just bent double her hand over her right eye.  
"Oh, it's-nothing." She was looking annoyed "bloody lenses falling out. It's OK" Ron was staring at her with fascination.  
"Ooh! You wear those muggle deelees? Concept lenses?" He was captivated.  
"Honestly, it's contact lenses Ron. You'd better take muggle studies next year, It'd do you a lot of good." Ron rolled his eyes as Snape coiled himself around the door of the classroom with a sneer  
"Yeah, right" said Ron unenthusiastically "what the- Oi! Watch it Malfoy!" Malfoy had just shoved passed them, whacking Ron on the arm with his bag as he did so "bastard" muttered Ron. Malfoy sneered over his shoulder and stuck his finger up at, not Ron, but Jessica. Ron was spared retaliating as she pushed him hard in the back, right into the dungeon. Still fussing over her lenses, followed them to the back of the room and as she poked around with her eye. She was so distracted that she dropped a heavy book on Ron's toe (his profanity caused Snape to deduct ten points from Gryffindor) it fell open on a marked page  
  
"Vanish unwanted items with one flick of your wand, the vanishing charm is  
very useful and is simple to perform..."  
  
And  
  
"Hide unsightly acne, freckles, scars or any other blemishes with the easy  
concealment charm. Step 1: hold your wand lightly in your fingers..."  
  
"Someone really should tell Eloise Midgen about that concealment charm, it would do wonders on her skin!" Harry, Dean and Seamuss laughed, but Hermione and Jessica looked reprovingly at them.  
  
It had seemed to take forever, but October had finally arrived and the school was preparing for a particularly magnificent Halloween, but Harry, Hermione, Ron and Jessica found themselves hopefully hurrying to what they desperately wished would be the remnants of the Halloween feast, after a particularly cold and uncomfortable ordeal at Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party. Ron was just voicing his wish for some of the tantalising pudding they could smell wafting from the Great Hall, when Harry came to an abrupt and none-too graceful halt.  
  
"It's that voice again-shut up a minute" Ron looked back at a quite un- nerved Hermione as she whispered gently,  
  
"Harry, is everything OK?" when suddenly, he sprinted off beckoning them to follow. Ron did so without waiting, but only Hermione had the presence of mind to cast around for Jessica. She was nowhere in sight and, assuming she had gone with Ron, Hermione legged it after them, only stopping to gasp loudly at what she saw in front of her. All the three of them could do was to stand and stare for a minute or so until what seemed like the entire contents of the Great Hall spilled into the corridor they happened to be occupying. Hermione felt something at her elbow and as she turned-it was to find an extremely pale looking (paler even, than usual) Jessica. "Jess where the hell-" but she was stopped in her tracks by a shout out of the silence, "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next Mudbloods" Draco's eyes were fixed, with hard steel on Jessica's.  
When Harry woke on the following Saturday, it was with a great sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach. It was the day of his first Quidditch match of the year- it was against Slytherin. It was against Malfoy. But on top of all this, Wood still hadn't found a replacement Chaser. As he entered the Great Hall, (early, as he had seen no point in hanging around the common room) he saw the rest of the Gryffindor team sitting closely bunched, pale and rather frazzled to say the least but there was an aura of pseudo-confidence about them that didn't actually fool anyone. Harry sat down and within minutes realised that nobody was forcing ridiculous amounts of food down his throat.  
  
"Where's Wood?" He couldn't fail to notice the nervous glances everyone was throwing around at each other.  
  
"Dunno mate," Said George frowning" Probably on the pitch making sure his arse is securely glued to his broomstick just in case he falls off" There was some scattered, shaky laughter from the team. As if this had been his cue for a dramatic entrance, Wood burst through the door into the Hall with a flurry of triumph and frustration followed by Jessica, hear to wish them luck, Harry supposed. The rest of the team's faces visibly relaxed at the sight of their Captain.  
  
"Wood! Where on earth have you been?" But Wood silenced Fred  
  
"No time for questions" He sounded very highly strung indeed "Team, I know you're all thinking we can't win this game with one Chaser missing-but you're wrong! We can and maybe now we will." He was very flushed and he had a manic glint in his eye "Team, I found you the most excellent Chaser the school could get its hands on. She's exceptionally good outstanding, even- and keen too. Now none of you piss me around by forgetting formations, 'cause I've been up since four with her teaching them to her one by one" At this moment, Harry found himself looking around the Great Hall for the Burly six footer with muscles the size of grapefruits he was imagining. He was rather taken aback when Jessica stepped forward with a tired wave and a slight yawn.  
  
"Aha" said Harry distantly "We've won." 


	5. Hermione Entry Number 2

_How did I get involved in this? Jessica has indeed, been hiding something from us-from all of us. I just saw...Ok, so it's weird, but I just saw Jessica and Malfoy kissing! I was on my way to the Common room from the library, researching some more stuff for the Polyjuice potion and I rounded a corner, and there they were! She was leant against the wall and he was leaning over her-at first I thought "What the hell?" Then I saw why she was leant against the wall like that. He was gripping her arm so tightly I could see the red marks forming under his fingers and she was writhing and struggling beneath him. Eventually she landed a lucky swipe with her foot and he crumpled. She slapped him hard and told him to go fuck himself. Then she looked up and saw me. I Just don't understand this, Jess has just fallen asleep- she's exhausted herself crying. She made me promise not to tell anyone- and I half understand that, but on the other hand- she fought him so she has nothing to hide._

_She told me that she was scared, but she wouldn't tell me what of, not of Malfoy! She is quite happy and capable enough to kick his arse if she wanted to. I just wish she'd tell me instead of being so secretive. I can't wait till the Polyjuice Potion is ready- believe me I'll be asking Malfoy some questions he doesn't want to hear..._

A/N: Ok so this isn't really much like the Hermione in the books, as I deliberately changed her to be less... well, like the Hermione in the books. If you don't like this, I suggest that you don't read on as I am modelling her after one of my friends (she knows who she is) and she will also be ruder, uncensored and generally like a real person. But if you have any suggestions about her character development, then please R&R.

xxx Marhysa xxx


	6. The Duelling Club

Harry entered the girl's bathroom to find Ron, Hermione and Jessica squeezed precariously into the small cubicle and fussing over the blackened cauldron which was steaming and emitting a nasty smell that reminded Harry forcibly of toenail clippings. He told them about Dobby and the midnight visitation. They spent a little time debating the Malfoys before Harry remembered,

"Hey-Jess, you were amazing yesterday! Where did you learn to fly like that?" She gave him an embarrassed sort of smile and blushed slightly.

"I used to play against my mum's students at the school, they let me sort of live there until I got in to Hogwarts, the potions master kind of adopted me. My broom's crap though, I'm saving up for a new model-it's supposed to be amazing, but it's not out till the summer. But anyway, what's going to happen to that Creevey kid?"

A little over a week later, the four of them entered the Great Hall with a slight groan

"Not that prick! Please...anyone else but him!" Moaned Jessica resentfully as the golden-locked white-toothed profile of Lockhart came into clear view. As they all shook their heads and rolled their eyes at each other someone shoved Jessica so hard that she overbalanced and Harry had to catch her. Malfoy sneered and mouthed something at Jessica over his shoulder. Ron looked puzzled.

"He'll get you back for what?" But Lockhart had just started speaking, which, Harry thought, was a relief, as Jessica was looking more livid than he had yet seen her. The tips of her long black hair had turned red (a danger sign, this always seemed to happen when she got angry) and her fists were clenched. But Harry thought he saw something else in her eyes-was that fear? He didn't know why, but he was finding himself increasingly fascinated by Jessica. More and more often, his eyes would wander around looking for hers, and when they met, his heart would give a little flutter. It was not a crush, he was sure that he did not fancy her in the slightest (though she was pretty), it was something far more complicated than that. He couldn't describe it to himself, but he was spared having to as the demonstration began.

"Miss Granger-over here with Miss. Bullstrode, and" Snape's lip curled with unexplainable hatred "_Evans, _you can go with Miss. Parkinson" Harry glanced over at Jessica, but she had her head down and her face was covered by the long sheets of her black hair.

"SERPENSORTIA!" Malfoy shouted as the great black snake erupted from his wand; Harry gazed into its eyes steadily and watched as Lockhart in avertedly set the snake towards Justin. His mind was frozen, and, numbly he stepped forward, but the same moment as Harry shouted, "leave him!" someone in the crown stepped forward and tried to stop the snake with a spell. Confused, the snake lunged. A high-pitched scream filled the Great Hall and a small girl with dark hair tumbled to the ground. Very dark hair.

"Jess!" she lay there as the snake lunged again and again, sinking its fangs deep into her flesh. Snape rushed forward and waved his wand once and the snake vanished mid lurch, and there lay Jessica, in a pool of her own blood. Her eyes were open but clouded over and her body was trembling. Someone shouted at Harry,

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?" but Harry wasn't paying attention-all he could see was his friend, lying there-bleeding. Someone pushed passed him to her side as Hermione sobbed behind Harry, someone with long, greasy, black hair. Snape's face was white and his hands shook as he lifted Jessica's light form from the ground, holding her, cradling her even. He looked at Harry and shot him a look of such rancour that Harry felt sick as the professor swept passed him and out of the silent hall. A sneer broke the stillness.

"You're in for it now Potter!" Draco looked even paler than usual "Attacking a teacher's daughter? Snape's going to be after you're blood for doing that to his precious daughter!"


End file.
